U.S. patent number 10,432,167 [Application Number 15/088,814] was granted by the patent office on 2019-10-01 for piezoelectric package-integrated crystal devices.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intel Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Baris Bicen, Georgios C. Dogiamis, Feras Eid, Adel A. Elsherbini, Telesphor Kamgaing, Vijay K. Nair, Valluri R. Rao, Johanna M. Swan.
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United States Patent |
10,432,167 |
Elsherbini , et al. |
October 1, 2019 |
Piezoelectric package-integrated crystal devices
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention include a piezoelectric resonator
which includes an input transducer having a first piezoelectric
material, a vibrating structure coupled to the input transducer,
and an output transducer coupled to the vibrating structure. In one
example, the vibrating structure is positioned above a cavity of an
organic substrate. The output transducer includes a second
piezoelectric material. In operation the input transducer causes an
input electrical signal to be converted into mechanical vibrations
which propagate across the vibrating structure to the output
transducer.
Inventors: |
Elsherbini; Adel A. (Chandler,
AZ), Eid; Feras (Chandler, AZ), Bicen; Baris
(Chandler, AZ), Kamgaing; Telesphor (Chandler, AZ), Nair;
Vijay K. (Mesa, AZ), Swan; Johanna M. (Scottsdale,
AZ), Dogiamis; Georgios C. (Gilbert, AZ), Rao; Valluri
R. (Saratoga, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Intel Corporation (Santa Clara,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
59960360 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/088,814 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2016 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20170288635 A1 |
Oct 5, 2017 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H03H
9/17 (20130101); H03H 9/2463 (20130101); H03H
9/02259 (20130101); H03H 2009/02291 (20130101); H03H
2009/155 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H03H
9/17 (20060101); H03H 9/02 (20060101); H03H
9/24 (20060101); H03H 9/15 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1764597 |
|
Mar 2007 |
|
EP |
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2014165758 |
|
Sep 2014 |
|
JP |
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WO 2015122840 |
|
Aug 2015 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
International Preliminary Report on Patentablity for International
Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/017239, dated Oct. 11, 2018, 8
pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion for
PCT/US2017/017239 dated May 17, 2017, 11 pages. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: San Martin; J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt,
P.C.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A resonator, comprising: an input transducer that includes a
first piezoelectric material; a vibrating structure coupled to the
input transducer, the vibrating structure positioned above a cavity
within an organic substrate; and an output transducer coupled to
the vibrating structure, the output transducer includes a second
piezoelectric material, wherein in operation the input transducer
causes an input electrical signal to be converted into mechanical
vibrations which propagate across the vibrating structure to the
output transducer.
2. The resonator of claim 1, wherein in operation the output
transducer causes the mechanical vibrations to be converted into an
output electrical signal.
3. The resonator of claim 1, wherein the input transducer further
comprises a first region of the vibrating structure that acts as a
first electrode of the input transducer and a second electrode of
the input transducer is disposed on the first piezoelectric
material.
4. The resonator of claim 3, wherein the output transducer further
comprises a second region of the vibrating structure that acts as a
first electrode of the output transducer and a second electrode of
the output transducer is disposed on the second piezoelectric
material.
5. The resonator of claim 1, wherein the vibrating structure
comprises a suspended mechanical beam that is suspended over the
cavity.
6. The resonator of claim 1, wherein the resonator is integrated
with the organic substrate which is fabricated with panel level
processing.
7. The resonator of claim 6, wherein the resonator is integrated
with the organic substrate to reduce routing parasitics.
8. The resonator of claim 1, wherein the input electrode is biased
with the input electrical signal having a frequency approximately
equal to a mechanical resonant frequency of the vibrating structure
in order to operate at resonance.
9. A package substrate comprising: a plurality of organic
dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive layers to form the
package substrate; a cavity formed in the package substrate; and a
piezoelectric device integrated within the package substrate, the
piezoelectric device includes an input transducer, a vibrating
structure coupled to the input transducer, and an output transducer
coupled to the vibrating structure, wherein in operation a first
piezoelectric material of the input transducer causes an input
electrical signal to be converted into mechanical vibrations which
propagate across the vibrating structure to the output
transducer.
10. The package substrate of claim 9, wherein in operation the
output transducer causes the mechanical vibrations to be converted
into an output electrical signal.
11. The package substrate of claim 9, wherein the input transducer
further comprises a first region of the vibrating structure that
acts as a first electrode of the input transducer and a second
electrode of the input transducer is disposed on the first
piezoelectric material.
12. The package substrate of claim 9, wherein the output transducer
further comprises a second region of the vibrating structure that
acts as a first electrode of the output transducer and a second
electrode of the output transducer is disposed on a second
piezoelectric material of the output transducer.
13. The package substrate of claim 9, wherein the vibrating
structure comprises a suspended mechanical beam that is suspended
over the cavity.
14. The package substrate of claim 9, wherein in operation the
input electrode is biased with an input electrical signal having a
frequency approximately equal to a mechanical resonant frequency of
the vibrating structure in order to operate at resonance.
15. A resonator comprising: an input transducer that includes first
and second electrodes and a first piezoelectric material; a
vibrating structure coupled to the input transducer, the vibrating
structure positioned above a cavity within an organic substrate;
and an output transducer coupled to the vibrating structure, the
output transducer includes first and second electrodes and a second
piezoelectric material, wherein in operation the input transducer
causes an input electrical signal to be converted into mechanical
vibrations which propagate across the vibrating structure to the
output transducer.
16. The resonator of claim 15, wherein in operation the output
transducer causes the mechanical vibrations to be converted into an
output electrical signal.
17. The resonator of claim 15, further comprising: a first
insulating layer to electrically isolate the first electrode of the
input transducer from the vibrating structure; and a second
insulating layer to electrically isolate the first electrode of the
output transducer from the vibrating structure, wherein the
resonator is integrated with the organic substrate which includes
organic layers.
18. A computing device comprising: at least one processor to
process data; and a package substrate coupled to the at least one
processor, the package substrate includes a plurality of organic
dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive layers to form the
package substrate which includes a piezoelectric resonator which
comprises, an input transducer having a first piezoelectric
material, a vibrating structure coupled to the input transducer,
and an output transducer coupled to the vibrating structure, the
output transducer includes a second piezoelectric material, wherein
in operation the input transducer causes an input electrical signal
to be converted into mechanical vibrations which propagate across
the vibrating structure to the output transducer.
19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the resonator is
integrated with the organic package substrate having organic
layers.
20. The computing device of claim 18, further comprising: a printed
circuit board coupled to the package substrate.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to package
integrated devices. In particular, embodiments of the present
invention relate to piezoelectric package integrated crystal
devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Frequency stable oscillators are used in many microprocessors and
digital applications. For example, oscillators are used in
conjunction with a phase locked loop (PLL) to provide the clock
frequency for central processing units (CPUs). Oscillators are also
used in wireless application with PLLs to provide accurate carrier
frequencies to meet the wireless standards for different protocols
such as Bluetooth, GSM, and LTE. Typically, the oscillator
frequency is controlled using a tank circuit (e.g., an inductor and
capacitor in parallel or in series). One drawback of tank circuits
is that standard inductors and capacitors have relatively low
quality factors resulting in poor frequency stability over time and
over temperature. Thus, a piezo crystal element is typically used.
In its simplest form, a piezo crystal consists of a piezoelectric
material between two plates and it oscillates at a precisely
controlled frequency. Electrically, crystals are equivalent to tank
circuits with very high quality factors. The crystals are typically
sold as surface mount (SMT) components.
Recent miniaturization trends in wearables and the Internet of
Things (IoT) require smaller and cheaper components. Piezo crystal
components are relatively large and expensive (e.g., approximately
$0.5-$1/piece). The piezo crystal components also typically have
large Z-height (e.g., greater than or equal to 0.6 mm) which
impacts the overall system cost and Z-height of a microelectronic
device. The other oscillator solution that is currently available
is based on Si-MEMS based resonators that can be made smaller in XY
dimensions and have higher quality factors than passive networks;
however their fabrication may be cost-prohibitive and they would
still require assembly as discrete components to the system or
board.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a view of a microelectronic device 100 having a
package-integrated piezoelectric resonator device, according to an
embodiment.
FIG. 2 illustrates a package substrate having a package-integrated
piezoelectric resonator device, according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified equivalent circuit of a resonator
in accordance with one embodiment.
FIG. 4 illustrates a package substrate having a package-integrated
piezoelectric resonator device, according to an embodiment.
FIG. 5 illustrates a package substrate having a package-integrated
piezoelectric resonator device, according to an embodiment.
FIG. 6 illustrates a computing device 900 in accordance with one
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Described herein are piezoelectric package integrated MEMS crystal
devices. In the following description, various aspects of the
illustrative implementations will be described using terms commonly
employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of
their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may
be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes
of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
illustrative implementations. However, it will be apparent to one
skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced
without the specific details. In other instances, well-known
features are omitted or simplified in order to not obscure the
illustrative implementations.
Various operations will be described as multiple discrete
operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in
understanding the present invention, however, the order of
description should not be construed to imply that these operations
are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations
need not be performed in the order of presentation.
Silicon micro-electromechanical (MEMS) resonators can be made
smaller and have higher quality factors than passive filter
networks, however their fabrication may be expensive due to the
wafer-level nature of Si-MEMS processing. In addition, Si-MEMS
resonators require assembly of components to the system or board.
The present design includes an architecture that allows in-situ
fabrication of MEMS crystal devices in a compact form factor on
package substrates using organic panel-level (e.g., approximately
0.5 m.times.0.5 m sized panels) high volume manufacturing
technology, without requiring the assembly of external bulky
components or expensive Si MEMS fabrication.
The present design addresses the fabrication of MEMS crystal
resonator devices within the semiconductor package substrate that
is compatible with high volume package substrate fabrication
technology. This present design for MEMS crystal resonator devices
integrated in a package substrate is based on our ability to
deposit piezoelectric materials in the package substrate and create
vibrating structures in the substrate.
In one embodiment, this technology allows the fabrication of
micro-electromechanical piezoelectric crystal resonator devices
utilizing substrate manufacturing technology. These MEMS crystal
devices include suspended vibrating structures. The structures
contain stacks of piezoelectric material and electrodes that can be
used to apply a voltage to the piezoelectric layer.
In operation, an input transducer receives an electrical signal
which is converted into mechanical vibrations because of the
piezoelectric element in the transducer. These mechanical
vibrations are converted back to an electrical signal at the output
transducer. When the signal's frequency matches the mechanical
resonant frequency of the suspended structure, high amplitude
vibrations are generated resulting in higher amplitude electrical
signals at the output transducer.
The present design results in package-integrated crystal resonator
devices, thus enabling smaller and thinner systems in comparison to
discrete crystal resonator devices attached to a substrate. The
package-integrated crystal resonator devices do not add a Z height
(along the vertical axis) to a total height of a substrate or
multiple substrates. This present design can be manufactured as
part of the substrate fabrication process with no need for
purchasing and assembling discrete components. It therefore enables
high volume manufacturability (and thus lower costs) of systems
that need filter devices (e.g., RF filters, etc).
In one example, the present design includes package-integrated
structures to act as crystal resonator devices. Those structures
are manufactured as part of the package layers and are made free to
vibrate or move by removing the dielectric material around them.
The structures consist of piezoelectric stacks that are deposited
and patterned layer-by-layer into the package. The present design
includes creating functional crystal resonators in the package on
the principle of suspended and vibrating structures. Etching of the
dielectric material in the package occurs to create cavities.
Piezoelectric material deposition (e.g., 0.5 to 1 um deposition
thickness) and crystallization also occurs in the package substrate
during the package fabrication process. An annealing operation at a
lower substrate temperature range (e.g., up to 260 C) allows
crystallization of the piezoelectric material (e.g., lead zirconate
titanate (PZT), sodium potassium niobate, AlN, ZnO, etc) to occur
during the package fabrication process. In one example, laser
pulsed annealing occurs locally with respect to the piezoelectric
material for the annealing operation without damaging other layers
of the package substrate (e.g., organic substrate) including
organic layers.
The present design provides advantages compared to assembling the
resonators as SMT components. For example, the present design
provides a lower cost (e.g., component-wise and removal of assembly
cost), much smaller form factor and zero Z-height addition since
the crystal is now completely contained within the package
substrate, and reduced routing parasitics which can allow higher
frequency resonators (e.g., 0.5-5 GHz if needed).
Referring now to FIG. 1, a view of a microelectronic device 100
having package-integrated piezoelectric resonator devices is shown,
according to an embodiment. In one example, the microelectronic
device 100 includes multiple devices 190 and 194 (e.g., die, chip,
CPU, silicon die or chip, etc.) that are coupled or attached to a
package substrate 120 (or printed circuit board 110) with solder
balls 191-192, 195-196). The package substrate 120 is coupled or
attached to the printed circuit board (PCB) 110 using, for example,
solder balls 111 through 115.
The package substrate 120 (e.g., organic substrate) includes
organic dielectric layers 102 and conductive layers 121-128.
Organic materials may include any type of organic material
including flame retardant 4 (FR4), resin-filled polymers, prepreg
(e.g., pre impregnated, fiber weave impregnated with a resin
bonding agent), polymers, silica-filled polymers, etc. The package
substrate 120 can be formed during package substrate processing
(e.g., panel level). The panels formed can be large (e.g., having
in-plane dimensions of approximately 0.5 meter by 0.5 meter, or
greater than 0.5 meter, etc.) for lower cost. A cavity 142 is
formed within the packaging substrate 120 by removing one or more
layers (e.g., organic layers, dielectric layers, etc.) from the
packaging substrate 120. The cavity 142 includes a lower member 143
and sidewalls 144-145. In one example, a resonator 139 includes a
piezoelectric vibrating structure 130 (e.g., conductive structure,
suspend beam), an input transducer 132, and an output transducer
135. The input transducer includes a conductive electrode 133, a
piezoelectric material 134, and a region 131 of the vibrating
structure 130 that acts as an electrode (or another electrode can
be patterned to act as an electrode of the input transducer). The
output transducer includes a conductive electrode 136, a
piezoelectric material 137, and a region 138 of the vibrating
structure that acts as an electrode (or another electrode can be
patterned to act as an electrode of the output transducer). The
three structures 133, 134, and 131 form a first piezoelectric stack
and the structures 136, 137, and 138 form a second piezoelectric
stack. The cavity 142 can be air filled or vacuum filled.
FIG. 2 illustrates a package substrate having a package-integrated
piezoelectric resonator device, according to an embodiment. In one
example, the package substrate 200 may be coupled or attached to
multiple devices (e.g., die, chip, CPU, silicon die or chip, etc.)
and also coupled or attached to a printed circuit board (e.g., PCB
110 in FIG. 1). The package substrate 200 (e.g., organic substrate)
includes organic dielectric layers 202 and conductive layers
221-229. The package substrate 200 can be formed during package
substrate processing (e.g., panel level). A cavity 242 is formed
within the packaging substrate 200 by removing one or more layers
(e.g., organic layers, dielectric layers, etc.) from the packaging
substrate 200. In one example, a piezoelectric resonator device 239
(e.g., resonator) is formed with conductive vibrating structure
230, input transducer 232, and output transducer 235. The input
transducer includes a conductive electrode 233, a piezoelectric
material 234, and a region 231 of the vibrating structure 230 that
acts as an electrode (or another electrode can be patterned to act
as an electrode of the input transducer). The output transducer
includes a conductive electrode 236, a piezoelectric material 237,
and a region 238 of the vibrating structure that acts as an
electrode (or another electrode can be patterned to act as an
electrode of the output transducer). The three structures 233, 234,
and 231 form a first piezoelectric stack and the structures 236,
237, and 238 form a second piezoelectric stack. In one example, the
piezoelectric material 234 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on the
region 231 of the vibrating structure and the conductive electrode
233 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on the material 234. The
piezoelectric material 237 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on the
region 238 of the vibrating structure and the conductive electrode
236 is disposed on the material 237. The cavity 242 can be air
filled or vacuum filled. The vibrating structure 230 is anchored on
edges of the cavity by package connections 226 and 227 (e.g.,
anchors, vias) which may serve as both mechanical anchors as well
as electrical connections to the rest of the package.
In operation, an input electrical signal at one of the terminals
(e.g., input transducer 232) is converted into mechanical
vibrations because of the piezoelectric transducer element 234.
There are many different vibration modes that can be used depending
on the application and the required resonance frequency, quality
factor, and resonator size. The simplest resonator is a suspended
mechanical beam as illustrated in FIG. 2 but more complex
resonators such as contour mode resonators are also possible. These
mechanical vibrations propagate across the vibrating structure to
the other terminal (e.g., output transducer 235) where the
mechanical vibration are converted back to electrical signals by
the other piezoelectric transducer element 237 at that
terminal.
In one example, the package substrate 200 includes a resonator 239
have a length 250 (e.g., at least 50 microns, 50-150 microns, etc.)
and a vibrating structure 230 having a suspended beam width of
10-500 microns.
Referring to FIG. 3, at frequencies different than the resonance
frequency of the structure, the electrical signal generated at the
output terminal Vout is very small in comparison to the electrical
signal generated at the input terminal Vin. At the resonance
frequency, vibrations with much larger amplitude are generated in
the resonator resulting in higher electrical output signals at the
output transducer element. This can be represented using the
simplified equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with
one embodiment. The equivalent circuit includes a resistor 310,
inductor 320, and capacitor 330 which are coupled in series.
In one example, a typical size for a commercial 12 MHz resonator is
3.2.times.2.5 mm and has a Z-height of 0.6 mm. One of the reasons
for the larger size is the required packaging for the crystal
resonator element and the required connections between the crystal
resonator and the board. With the present design architecture, the
resonator element size can be as small as 100 um if needed (e.g.,
assuming copper as the resonator material, a simple suspended beam
resonator, and speed of sound of approximately 2300 m/s). Higher
order modes or different resonator structures can be used. Both can
enable larger resonator size to allow good frequency accuracy with
manufacturing tolerances or enable higher quality factors.
In one example, the transducers can be implemented by depositing
and patterning piezoelectric materials such as PZT, sodium
potassium niobate, ZnO, or other materials in the package substrate
sandwiched between conductive electrodes as shown in FIG. 4 in
accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates a package
substrate having a package-integrated piezoelectric resonator
device, according to an embodiment. In one example, the package
substrate 400 may be coupled or attached to multiple devices (e.g.,
die, chip, CPU, silicon die or chip, etc.) and also coupled or
attached to a printed circuit board (e.g., PCB 110). The package
substrate 400 (e.g., organic substrate) includes organic dielectric
layers 402 and conductive layers 421-428. The package substrate 400
can be formed during package substrate processing (e.g., panel
level). A cavity 442 is formed within the packaging substrate 400
by removing one or more layers (e.g., organic layers, dielectric
layers, etc.) from the packaging substrate 400. In one example, a
piezoelectric resonator device 439 (e.g., resonator) is formed with
conductive vibrating structure 430, first transducer 432, and
second transducer 435. The first transducer includes a conductive
second electrode 433, a piezoelectric material 434, and a region
443 of the vibrating structure 430 that acts as a first electrode
of the first transducer. The second transducer includes a
conductive second electrode 436, a piezoelectric material 437, and
a region 444 of the vibrating structure 430 (e.g., beam, membrane)
that acts as a first electrode of the second transducer. In one
example, the piezoelectric material 434 is disposed (e.g.,
deposited) on the region 443 (first electrode 443) and the
conductive second electrode 433 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on
the material 434. The piezoelectric material 437 is disposed (e.g.,
deposited) on the region 444 (first electrode 444) and the
conductive second electrode 436 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on
the material 437. The cavity 442 can be air filled or vacuum
filled. The vibrating structure 430 is anchored on edges of the
cavity by package connections 425 and 426 (e.g., anchors, vias)
which may serve as both mechanical anchors as well as electrical
connections to the rest of the package.
Copper or other conductive material can be used as the electrodes.
The vibrating structure itself can be a copper trace as well such
as a beam or membrane for example. In one configuration, the
vibrating structure 430 itself can act as the first electrode for
the piezoelectric elements as shown in FIG. 4, or alternatively, a
separate material can be deposited and patterned as the first
electrode, after depositing an insulating layer to electrically
decouple this first electrode from the conductive vibrating
structure as illustrated in FIG. 5.
FIG. 5 illustrates a package substrate having a package-integrated
piezoelectric resonator device, according to an embodiment. In one
example, the package substrate 500 may be coupled or attached to
multiple devices (e.g., die, chip, CPU, silicon die or chip, etc.)
and also coupled or attached to a printed circuit board (e.g., PCB
110). The package substrate 500 (e.g., organic substrate) includes
organic dielectric layers 502 and conductive layers 521-528. The
package substrate 500 can be formed during package substrate
processing (e.g., panel level). A cavity 542 is formed within the
packaging substrate 500 by removing one or more layers (e.g.,
organic layers, dielectric layers, etc.) from the packaging
substrate 500. In one example, a piezoelectric resonator device 539
(e.g., resonator) is formed with conductive vibrating structure
530, first transducer 532, and second transducer 535. The first
transducer includes a conductive second electrode 533, a
piezoelectric material 534, a first electrode 560, and an
insulating layer 543 that electrically isolates the first electrode
560 from the vibrating structure 530. The second transducer
includes a conductive second electrode 536, a piezoelectric
material 537, a first electrode 561, and an insulating layer 544
that electrically isolates the first electrode 561 from the
vibrating structure 530 (e.g., beam, membrane). In one example, the
piezoelectric material 534 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on the
first electrode 560 and the conductive second electrode 533 is
disposed (e.g., deposited) on the material 534. The piezoelectric
material 537 is disposed (e.g., deposited) on the first electrode
561 and the conductive second electrode 536 is disposed (e.g.,
deposited) on the material 537. The cavity 542 can be air filled or
vacuum filled. The vibrating structure 530 is anchored on edges of
the cavity by package connections 525 and 526 (e.g., anchors, vias)
which may serve as both mechanical anchors as well as electrical
connections to the rest of the package.
Organic dielectric normally surrounds copper traces in
packages/PCBs; however this organic material is removed around the
transducers 532 and 535 and vibrating structure 530 in FIG. 5 to
allow mechanical vibrations with high amplitude at resonance.
Conductive layer 528 may act as an etch stop during the formation
of the cavity 542.
It will be appreciated that, in a system on a chip embodiment, the
die may include a processor, memory, communications circuitry and
the like. Though a single die is illustrated, there may be none,
one or several dies included in the same region of the
microelectronic device.
In one embodiment, the microelectronic device may be a crystalline
substrate formed using a bulk silicon or a silicon-on-insulator
substructure. In other implementations, the microelectronic device
may be formed using alternate materials, which may or may not be
combined with silicon, that include but are not limited to
germanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide,
indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium arsenide,
gallium antimonide, or other combinations of group III-V or group
IV materials. Although a few examples of materials from which the
substrate may be formed are described here, any material that may
serve as a foundation upon which a semiconductor device may be
built falls within the scope of the present invention.
The microelectronic device may be one of a plurality of
microelectronic devices formed on a larger substrate, such as, for
example, a wafer. In an embodiment, the microelectronic device may
be a wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP). In certain
embodiments, the microelectronic device may be singulated from the
wafer subsequent to packaging operations, such as, for example, the
formation of one or more piezoelectric vibrating devices.
One or more contacts may be formed on a surface of the
microelectronic device. The contacts may include one or more
conductive layers. By way of example, the contacts may include
barrier layers, organic surface protection (OSP) layers, metallic
layers, or any combination thereof. The contacts may provide
electrical connections to active device circuitry (not shown)
within the die. Embodiments of the invention include one or more
solder bumps or solder joints that are each electrically coupled to
a contact. The solder bumps or solder joints may be electrically
coupled to the contacts by one or more redistribution layers and
conductive vias.
FIG. 6 illustrates a computing device 900 in accordance with one
embodiment of the invention. The computing device 900 houses a
board 902. The board 902 may include a number of components,
including but not limited to a processor 904 and at least one
communication chip 906. The processor 904 is physically and
electrically coupled to the board 902. In some implementations the
at least one communication chip 906 is also physically and
electrically coupled to the board 902. In further implementations,
the communication chip 906 is part of the processor 904.
Depending on its applications, computing device 900 may include
other components that may or may not be physically and electrically
coupled to the board 902. These other components include, but are
not limited to, volatile memory (e.g., DRAM 910, 911), non-volatile
memory (e.g., ROM 912), flash memory, a graphics processor 916, a
digital signal processor, a crypto processor, a chipset 914, an
antenna 920, a display, a touchscreen display 930, a touchscreen
controller 922, a battery 932, an audio codec, a video codec, a
power amplifier 915, a global positioning system (GPS) device 926,
a compass 924, a resonator 940 (e.g., a piezoelectric vibrating
device), a gyroscope, a speaker, a camera 950, and a mass storage
device (such as hard disk drive, compact disk (CD), digital
versatile disk (DVD), and so forth).
The communication chip 906 enables wireless communications for the
transfer of data to and from the computing device 900. The term
"wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits,
devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels,
etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated
electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does
not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires,
although in some embodiments they might not. The communication chip
906 may implement any of a number of wireless standards or
protocols, including but not limited to Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family),
WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 family), IEEE 802.20, long term evolution (LTE),
Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+, HSUPA+, EDGE, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT,
Bluetooth, derivatives thereof, as well as any other wireless
protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. The
computing device 900 may include a plurality of communication chips
906. For instance, a first communication chip 906 may be dedicated
to shorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi, WiGig and
Bluetooth and a second communication chip 906 may be dedicated to
longer range wireless communications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA,
WiMAX, LTE, Ev-DO, 5G, and others.
The processor 904 of the computing device 900 includes an
integrated circuit die packaged within the processor 904. In some
implementations of the invention, the processor package includes
one or more devices, such as resonator devices in accordance with
implementations of embodiments of the invention. The term
"processor" may refer to any device or portion of a device that
processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to transform
that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored
in registers and/or memory. The communication chip 906 also
includes an integrated circuit die packaged within the
communication chip 906.
The following examples pertain to further embodiments. Example 1 is
a resonator comprising an input transducer that includes a first
piezoelectric material, a vibrating structure coupled to the input
transducer, and an output transducer coupled to the vibrating
structure. The vibrating structure is positioned above a cavity
within an organic substrate. The output transducer includes a
second piezoelectric material. In operation, the input transducer
causes an input electrical signal to be converted into mechanical
vibrations which propagate across the vibrating structure to the
output transducer.
In example 2, the subject matter of example 1 can optionally
include in operation the output transducer causing the mechanical
vibrations to be converted into an output electrical signal.
In example 3, the subject matter of any of examples 1-2 can
optionally further include the input transducer further comprises a
first region of the vibrating structure that acts as a first
electrode of the input transducer and a second electrode of the
input transducer is disposed on the first piezoelectric
material.
In example 4, the subject matter of any of examples 1-3 can
optionally further include the output transducer further comprises
a second region of the vibrating structure that acts as a first
electrode of the output transducer and a second electrode of the
output transducer is disposed on the second piezoelectric
material.
In example 5, the subject matter of any of examples 1-4 can
optionally further include the vibrating structure comprises a
suspended mechanical beam that is suspended over the cavity.
In example 6, the subject matter of any of examples 1-5 can
optionally further include the resonator being integrated with the
organic substrate which is fabricated with panel level
processing.
In example 7, the subject matter of any of examples 1-6 can
optionally further include the resonator being integrated with the
organic substrate to reduce routing parasitics.
In example 8, the subject matter of any of examples 1-7 can
optionally further include the input electrode being biased with
the input electrical signal having a frequency approximately equal
to a mechanical resonant frequency of the vibrating structure in
order to operate at resonance.
Example 9 is a package substrate comprising a plurality of organic
dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive layers to form the
package substrate, a cavity formed in the package substrate, and a
piezoelectric device integrated within the package substrate. The
piezoelectric device includes an input transducer, a vibrating
structure coupled to the input transducer, and an output transducer
coupled to the vibrating structure. In operation a first
piezoelectric material of the input transducer causes an input
electrical signal to be converted into mechanical vibrations which
propagate across the vibrating structure to the output
transducer.
In example 10, the subject matter of example 9 can optionally
further include in operation the output transducer causing the
mechanical vibrations to be converted into an output electrical
signal.
In example 11, the subject matter of any of examples 9-10 can
optionally further include the input transducer further comprises a
first region of the vibrating structure that acts as a first
electrode of the input transducer and a second electrode of the
input transducer is disposed on the first piezoelectric
material.
In example 12, the subject matter of any of examples 9-11 can
optionally further include the output transducer further comprising
a second region of the vibrating structure that acts as a first
electrode of the output transducer and a second electrode of the
output transducer is disposed on a second piezoelectric material of
the output transducer.
In example 13, the subject matter of any of examples 9-12 can
optionally further include the vibrating structure comprises a
suspended mechanical beam that is suspended over the cavity.
In example 14, the subject matter of any of examples 9-13 can
optionally further include in operation the input electrode being
biased with an input electrical signal having a frequency
approximately equal to a mechanical resonant frequency of the
vibrating structure in order to operate at resonance.
Example 15 is a resonator comprising an input transducer that
includes first and second electrodes and a first piezoelectric
material, a vibrating structure coupled to the input transducer,
and an output transducer coupled to the vibrating structure. The
vibrating structure is positioned above a cavity within an organic
substrate. The output transducer includes first and second
electrodes and a second piezoelectric material. In operation the
input transducer causes an input electrical signal to be converted
into mechanical vibrations which propagate across the vibrating
structure to the output transducer.
In example 16, the subject matter of example 15 can optionally
further include in operation the output transducer causing the
mechanical vibrations to be converted into an output electrical
signal.
In example 17, the subject matter of any of examples 15-17 can
optionally further include a first insulating layer to electrically
isolate the first electrode of the input transducer from the
vibrating structure and a second insulating layer to electrically
isolate the first electrode of the output transducer from the
vibrating structure. The resonator is integrated with the organic
substrate which includes organic layers.
Example 18 is a computing device comprising at least one processor
to process data and a package substrate coupled to the at least one
processor. The package substrate includes a plurality of organic
dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive layers to form the
package substrate which includes a piezoelectric resonator which
comprises an input transducer having a first piezoelectric
material, a vibrating structure coupled to the input transducer,
and an output transducer coupled to the vibrating structure. The
output transducer includes a second piezoelectric material. In
operation the input transducer causes an input electrical signal to
be converted into mechanical vibrations which propagate across the
vibrating structure to the output transducer. In example 19, the
subject matter of example 18 can optionally further include the
resonator being integrated with the organic package substrate
having organic layers. In example 20, the subject matter of any of
examples 18-19 can optionally further include a printed circuit
board coupled to the package substrate.
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